


Two of a Kind // Kindred short story

by TroubledBubble



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Death, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-05-19 15:32:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19359778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TroubledBubble/pseuds/TroubledBubble
Summary: Kindred is the white embrace of nothingness and the gnashing of teeth in the dark. Shepherd and the butcher, poet and the primitive, they are one and both.





	1. The Lamb and the Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> Don't see many Kindred fanfics, so I thought I'd give one a try.  
> Hope you enjoy!

"Never one..."

 

_"Without the other..."_

 

* * *

 

 

 It was a nice, breezy day in Runeterra. Along the lines of a small river in Valoran lies a somewhat small human village, not too crowded yet not too packed. It was.. peaceful.

 

In the center of the village, a middle-aged woman sits on a soft blanket nearby a well, children of all ages surrounding her. The women was a story teller, someone who would spread the stories of the lands from village to village.

 

 

 

"Centuries ago, magical artifacts called 'World Runes' have been rediscovered." The woman says softly, beginning a new story.

 

"Over the following decades after such event, knowledge of the Runes began to spread as more were unearthed. The world's brightest minds studied the ancient glyphs, attempting to determine the powers they possessed." She says, keeping the attention of the children surrounding her.

 

"Few could even begin to understand the importance of their origins, or the sheer power held within them. Some surmised that the Runes were integral to the creation of Runeterra itself. The first use of these mysterious artifacts proved catastrophic, as they reshaped the landscape of entire nations. Mistrust quickly grew as those who knew of the Runes imagined such "Makers' Might" being used as a weapon. Conflicts later related to these magical artifacts were known as the Rune Wars."

 

The woman pulls out a few pieces of paper, images sketched onto them, showing some parts of the wars.

 

 

 

"With this war, great creatures emerged and made themselves known. Darkin, corrupted ascended formed after the Fall of Shurima. They were later sealed away in weapon prisons. They take form of demon-like, winged humanoids. They are shown to wield tremendous powers over physical and mental psyches of mortals." The woman says,

 

"Celestials, a race of enigmatic beings wielding powers that are said to be godlike, Celestials are the universe's protectors and caretakers, seeding and influencing the tide of the world's past, present and future towards the greater good." She continues,

 

"Dragons, winged, elemental-breathing reptiles that can reach near-giant sizes over their long, long lifespans, they are the indisputable ruler of the skies." The woman gestures her hands up to the sky as she speaks,

 

"And the one who we will be talking about for this story." The woman smiles softly, taking the images from before and placing them to the side.

 

"Spirits, creatures that inhabit the ether and are divorced from the mortality that mortals suffer, spirits are similar to Celestials in a sense that they help maintain the balance of the natural world, intervening every now and then, whether the causes they support are maligned by mortals or revered by them. Spirits are deathless, returning to the ether when their physical vessels are destroyed and return again to continue their crusade." The lady slowly pulls out a worn out piece of paper, wrinkles visible throughout it and the assumed white it used to be now a dull tan from age.

 

"The Spirits that we will be discussing today is no other than Kindred." The woman holds up the paper slightly for the children to see, a faded image of a masked Lamb and a masked-shadowed Wolf sketched onto it.

 

 

 

"The Kindred, known as the Lamb and the Wolf, are the twin essences of death, the quick and painless, and the long and violent deaths." The woman sets the image to the side and continues.

 

"When caught on the edge of life, louder than any trumpeting horn, it is the hammering pulse at one's throat that calls Kindred to their hunt. 'Stand and greet Lamb's silvered bow and her arrows will lay you down swiftly' they say. If you refuse her, Wolf will join you for his merry hunt, where every chase runs to its brutal end.

 

For as long as its people have known death, Kindred has stalked Valoran. When the final moment comes, it is said a true Demacian will turn to Lamb, taking the arrow, while through the shadowed streets of Noxus, Wolf leads the hunt. In the snows of the Freljord, before going off to fight, some warbands "kiss the Wolf," vowing to honor his chase with the blood of their enemies. After each Harrowing, the town of Bilgewater gathers to celebrate its survivors and honor those granted a true death by Lamb and Wolf.

 

Denying Kindred is to deny the natural order of things. There are but a wretched few who have eluded these hunters. This perverse escape is no sanctuary, for it only holds a waking nightmare. Kindred waits for those locked in the undeath of the Shadow Isles, for they know all will eventually fall to Lamb's bow or Wolf's teeth." The woman looks over the crowd of children, all of them focused on her and clearly intrigued by the story.

 

"The earliest dated appearance of the eternal hunters is from a pair of ancient masks, carved by unknown hands into the gravesites of people long-forgotten. But to this day, Lamb and Wolf remain together, and they are always Kindred." The woman finishes, taking out one final piece of paper, raising it high in the air for all of the children to see, an image of two combining masks sketched onto it.

 

 

 

 

 


	2. The Lamb and the Wolf

_"Lamb, tell me a story.."_

"There was once a pale man with dark hair who was very lonely..."

_"Why was it lonely?"_

"All things must meet this man, so they shunned him."

_"Did he chase them all?"_

"He took an axe, and split himself in two..."

_"So he would always have a friend...?"_

"...So he would always have a friend."

* * *

The moon glistened in the sky, shining down upon two spirits. A white lamb and a shadowed wolf.

A middle aged man roams the woods, a gun strapped to his side as he tries to seek out his next meal, oblivious to the silence that has fallen around him due to the presence of death itself.

 _"Tell me again, little Lamb, which things are mine to take?"_  Wolf asks in a growl.

"All things, dear Wolf." Lamb replies soothingly.

The two spirits walk among each other, Lamb gracefully skipping while Wolf floats smoothly beside her. They stalk the man, waiting until their opportunity arises.

The man falls to his knees, hands covering his face as his sanity slowly fades due to starvation. Nothing was left of his world, and he had not eaten in days, possibly weeks. He didn't know anymore.

 _"I see water!"_  Wolf grumbles out.

"They are called... tears." Lamb replies, quietly stepping closer to the man.

Lamb walks in front of the man, him still oblivious to her arrival. Wolf follows behind her, floating restlessly at her side as he waits for his mark.

"Beauty fades. That is why it is beautiful." Lamb says softly.

The man slowly removes his hands from his face and looks at the kindred duo, eyes widening as his bloodshot eyes stare at them. He sits there, staring, wondering if this is reality, or if he really had lost all of his sanity.

"We are not dreams. We are the waking." Lamb says, answering his thoughts, only causing the mans eyes to grow wider.

The man watches as Lamb slowly moves around him, each step graceful, so calming yet so terrifying. Wolf follows smoothly beside her, watching the mans every move, his eyes not moving away from the mans for even a second.

 _"I smell fear."_  Wolf growls out, excitement filling his eyes. "Does it see us, Lamb?"

"Yes, but it must choose. Feed the Wolf, or embrace me."

The man sat and stared, fear racing through his body as he stares at the duo, still not knowing exactly what he is seeing. The man stands up and reaches for his gun, but stops as a loud growl fills the air.

"You overstep." Lamb says, Wolf guarding the front of her.

The man drops his hand, then looks down, tears streaming down his face. He falls to his knees once more, past memories flashing through his mind has he moves closer to insanity.

The man stops after a few minutes, silence surrounding him once more. He quickly looks up, only to see the duo gone. He takes this time to stand up and run as fast as his feet will carry him.

He runs deeper into the forest, tripping over logs and stray roots as he panics, attempting to get as far away from where he was. The more he ran, the more his exhaustion took over, but he refused to stop. Not until he knew he was alone.

Lamb skips swiftly to the side, out of sight of the man but close enough to where she can observe him as he runs. Wolf follows closely, keeping up Lambs pace as they follow their prey elegantly.

 _"It thinks it can beat us!"_  Wolf growls playfully.

"This is called... denial." Lamb replies.

Soon, the man was too exhausted to run any further, and he stumbles to the ground, gasping for air as his lungs sting from pushing himself more than he can handle. The man glances up, the kindred duo appearing once more in his vision, only for him to blink and see nothing but trees.

"Panic not when life ebbs." Lamb speaks, hidden to the eye of the man.

The man looks around frantically, just to fall back and continue trying to control his breathing. Once he does as best as he can, he sits up, only to catch the eyes of Wolf. He quickly pushes himself back in fear, eyes wide as he stares at the duo.

"Choose now - my arrows..." Lamb says softly.

 _"...or my teeth?!"_  Wolf growls.

The man continues to stare in fear. Head dropping as he realizes this is his end. His fear leaves him and emptiness arises, his head picking back up with a blank expression as his eyes linger on Lamb.

Lamb takes out her bow and pulls back a white arrow, the moon shining brightly onto her as Wolf towers behind her, his eyes not leaving the man.

"Depart in peace." Lamb says as she releases the arrow, it penetrating the mans chest.

He falls back, eyes closed as his soul leaves his body. Wolf stalks towards the mans corpse, sniffing it, then biting the man neck and yanking back, making sure death found the man.

"Our mark is lifted." Lamb says softly, watching Wolf closely as the arrow in the mans chest fades into nothing.

 _"Who's next?!"_  Wolf asks excitedly.

"Rush not, Wolf." Lamb says, turning and walking away, Wolf following behind. "As there are many more for you to chase."

* * *

"Are you there, dear Wolf?"

_"I am, little Lamb."_

"Are you sad?"

_"I am."_

"What does it feel like?"

_"A long hunt with no kill."_

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, I hope you enjoyed!  
> Should I make a second part to this since it ended so sudden? Let me know!


End file.
